Any internet application is a candidate for abuse and annoyance by spammers who solicit visitors for their websites. In addition to sending email and other communications, spammers also target chat rooms and instant messaging programs by writing “bots” (programs designed to act like a person) that try to solicit visitors to websites. In addition, solicitors disguise the actual content of their websites by giving the site a front or look which would appear to be more appropriate in order to sell products and/or services that are inappropriate.
Pornographic email and spam are becoming increasingly offensive to clients, with hypertext markup language (HTML) based messages containing graphic images and descriptions sent to millions of users regardless of their age or interests. Similarly, chat rooms and instant messaging programs are targeted by spammers, who write “bots” (programs designed to act like a person) that try to solicit visitors to websites. The solicitations are not always pornographic—they may be any type of unsolicited commercial offering—offers to purchase Viagra or other prescription drugs, applications for credit cards, or weight loss programs for example.
Some known systems develop lists of appropriate and inappropriate website and sources of electronic communication. However, these systems can be circumvented by spammers that vary their source address or hide the content that they are offering.
Usability studies indicate pornographic email, spam, and pornographic solicitations in messaging applications and in chat rooms are a major cause of dissatisfaction and churn to users. There is a need to address this problem in order to improve the user's experience. Controlling such electronic communications and websites translates into lower chum and higher revenues for internet service providers.
Accordingly, a system for filtering electronic communications and websites is desired to address one or more of these and other disadvantages.